By: Kevin Finn

Sentry Staff Reporter

For the first time in the 400 year history of the state of Virginia the governor has been indicted for a federal crime. In an ongoing investigation it appears that former Governor Robert McDonnell and his wife were accepting illegal gifts from Star Scientific, a dietary corporation, in exchange for rewards. The news broke last year in months leading up to the election for McDonnell’s replacement.

McDonnell was elected to be Virginia’s 71st in 2009, replacing Democrat Governor Tim Kaine. McDonnell is a Republican who has made a career of Virginia politics, serving in the state House of Delegates. During his term as governor he focused heavily on job growth and was considered to be a rising national republican with much promise before the scandal broke.

In late January, McDonnell and his wife were indicted on 14 felony counts of corruption, fraud and obstructing federal investigators. According to reports, McDonnell received $135,000 in gifts including watches, expensive vacations and high quality golf shirts. The couple was working with Jonnie Williams, the chief executive officer of Star Scientific. In exchange for the gifts, McDonnell introduced Williams to top state officials and gave him access to the governors mansion in order to promote his products.

Through this turbulent period McDonnell has maintained that he is innocent. He said he used “poor judgement” but did “nothing illegal”. Some prosecutors have claimed, however, that McDonnell and his wife could face a long jail sentence and excessive fines. This scandal as well as the one that Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is facing have seriously tarnished the Republican brand and have made a severe impact of national politics. Governor Christie reportedly caused traffic jams in a district in northern New Jersey that failed to vote for Christie during the 2013 New Jersey Governors election. McDonnell’s scandal likely played a role in the victory for Democrat Terry McAuliffe over Republican Ken Cuccinelli last November.

Government teacher Mr. Jon Schildknecht feels that the situation is very bad all around.

“Its never good when an elected politician is caught up in a scandal. It doesnt look good for the office, it doesn’t look good for the individual and it doesn’t help with the voters,” Schildknecht said. “To have someone on trial for corruption charges is bad all around.”

Corruption is nothing new in politics. Many people remember the Watergate scandal that undid President Richard Nixon’s administration. Also during President Bill Clinton’s second term the discovery of him having an affair with a White House intern resulted in an impeachment trial that derailed the Clinton administration. Just this past year news has broke about possible cover ups about attacks of Americans in Benghazi, Libya. Reports surfaced last year that the Internal Revenue Service was targeting Tea Party and Progressive groups when reviewing tax filings. Likewise President Barack Obama has faced criticism lately for overseeing the collecting of phone calls and emails by the National Security Agency of foreign leaders and of American citizens that some believe is unconstitutional.

“Politicians need to be aware of what’s going on. Even if it was his wife it looks poorly on him. They need to know what’s going on around them like with Governor Christie.”

At the moment it does not look good for McDonnell or the position of governor in Virginia. One scandal can ruin a politician’s career. The legal proceedings of this situation may take years but one thing is certain. It is an embarrassing situation for Virginia.

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images